SkyDrive ‘Air Taxi’ makes first successful test flight

The SkyDrive company has made a first test flight with the SD-03, a small one-person aircraft that can take off and land vertically. The company, which is financially supported by Toyota, wants to further develop the plane in the coming years.

SkyDrive announced the successful flight on its website and also showed a video of the flying car making a manned test flight. According to SkyDrive, which is funded by Toyota, a test flight has been made in Japan with the SD-03 over the so-called Toyota Test Field, with the intention of obtaining approval for testing elsewhere.

During the test flight, the SD-03 was piloted by a pilot, but it was supported by a computer. The entire flight took only four minutes, but was completed without any problems. SkyDrive made a short promotional video of the test flight.

The intention is to have the aircraft, which is driven by an electric motor, also fly elsewhere before the end of the year, although the company is mainly focusing on Japan at this stage. A two-seater should also be released in 2023, and the intention is to actually bring this model to the market.

Several companies are in the process of making such planes, the main purpose of which is to use them as air taxis. For example, last year Boeing already made a successful test flight with a small electric plane that can land and take off vertically. Boeing wants to use this to make short flights in urban areas, in order to relieve busy traffic.